Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-07-04
IRRIGATION.
THE KEYSTONE TO SUCCESS IN
SMALL FARMING.
Thousands of Homes in Sac
ramentO County.

truly says The necessity of the farmers of
this county organizing for the purpose of
formulating some scheme by which the
broad fertile acres in the southern halt of
the county can be supplied by proper sys-
tenn OF irrigation, is daily becoming more
urgent. We are pleased to see Colonel f.
R. Hamilton, of the Sacramento Bank, act
ing in behalf of the Sacramento County
Improvement Association, taking such a
deep interest in this very important SUBJ
ject. In the whole State of California there
is not a county that presents more natural
facilities and more inexhaustible water sup
plies 10 draw from than Sacramento. 1t
can also be truly stated that these water
supplies can be reached more cheaply, and
and that canals and irrigation bitches from
the fountain head can be had at smaller
cost In this county to irrigate larger Sec
ton of rich farming country than in any
other section of the State. An acquaintance
with the favorable geographical lay of the
immense tract of land that can be brought
under irrigation in Sacramento county.
with accessible ever-howing streams of
water to draw from, will convince any sane
views we hold regarding the section of
country referred to.
MIR. Hamilton addresses a circular to the
farmers of this county, in which he SAYS
From experience in doing business in
MERGED, Fresno and Tulare counties, and
observing the immense benefit those coun-
ties are now deriving from irrigation, and
noticing the volume of water in the Ameri-
can river that is flowing past US, 1 am con-
WINGED that by concert of action of the
farmers of Sacramento county the water of
said American river can be carried across
in canal to the southern edge of the
county, and thereby made to irrigate the
lands between said canal and the Sacra-
mento river, thereby enriching and in
creasing the products and value of the said
land many times its present value"
This scheme of irrigation suggested bv
Colonel Hamilton is a feasible one, but
there are other and less expensive methods
of bringing water to the " southern edge of
the county" and which we will endeavor
to explain further on. Our ideas of the
cheapest and most practical way of irrigat-
ing that portion of Sacramento county
| south OF Brighton township to Dry creek,
would be simply as follows All the avail
| able land for irrigation purposes north of
! Sheldon, including Elk Grove and Florin.
to Brighton, we would look to the Ameri
can river for the source of supply, and
would direct the water from that stream
as suggested by Colonel Hamilton, by a
canal across the section of country de-
scrlbed. All of the land south of the Co
sumnes river to Dry creek in need of irri-
CATION could be supplied with water in
bitches from the headwaters of the Co
sumnes river and Dry creek, and if needs
be, the Mokelumne river could be tapped
at an elevation sufficient to canal stream
OF water that would food the whole basin
between the Costumes and the Mokelumne
and furnish water supply for all purposes.
such general system of irrigation can
be most successfully introduced in this
county, and the enterprise would prove one
OF the most profitable ever undertaken in
the State. For right of way for water
bitches there would be no charge-for farm
ers would be more than compensated for
any damage sustained by being allowed
free use OF the bitches to water their stock.
With such an extensive system of irriga-
| ton, Sacramento county would treble in
productive resources, treble in wealth and
| population and be the garden spot of the
| State. 1t would also lead to the subdi-
vision of large farms and there would be
opportunities for all newcomers New life
would besinfused into our farming COM
munity, and the poor ranchers, who at
| present barely exc out miserable exist
ence raising grain, would be afforded an
| opportunity to direct attention to more di-
versified methods of farming. It would ena-
BILE each farmer in this end of the county
| to cut two and three crops of alfalfa every
year upon land that will not now raise one
crop. 1t will enable them to raise ten
| times more stock than they do at present.
Small vineyards and orchards will replace
Improbable grain fields. Every farmer
! will be dairyman and stock-raiser and
be the possessor of a poultry yard and
profitable vegetable garden. Prosperity
will crown the efforts of the industrious
husbandman, and peace and plenty will
| reign supreme among the happiest and
most favored farming community in the
world. Give us irrigation, and YOU will
give all the blessings enumerated above.
A word abolt the expense of such
| system of irrigation as is outlined in this
| article. We have consulted some eminent
! engineers on this question who have given
us estimates, and it is their opinion that
less than half million dollars will do the
whole work
RECORD UNION CORRESPONDENT MAKES
FURTHER PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
EDS. RECORD MON: Referring to an
article in the last Gait Ga-ettc-[published
above.-EDs. RECORD UNION shows that
the efforts of Colonel Hamilton and others
are beginning to attract some attention to
the subject of irrigation in Sacramento
county. In order to get the matter before
the public in shape to have it act under
standingly upon the subject, would it not
be proper to have a preliminary survey
made by a competent corps of engineers to
determine the most desirable Sources of